Road safety

The Supreme Court (SC) has had to rule on a quite specific but relevant issue, what happens when someone changes the license plate of their car for another one that, although legal at the time, is no longer allowed? In this case, the protagonist was caught driving in Spain with an English license plate that had belonged to the same car, although it should no longer be used here because it was supposed to have the Spanish license plate.

Both the court and the Provincial Court sentenced the driver for a crime of document falsification. The reason is simple, since by changing the license plate, even if it is for another one that identifies that vehicle, what is done is making it difficult for the police and authorities to identify it correctly, and that directly affects the security and trust that official documents such as license plates must inspire.

The accused tried to appeal by saying that his action would only be a minor traffic offense and that, in addition, enough time had passed for the crime to be prescribed. But the SC flatly rejects his arguments explaining that manipulating a license plate is something serious and constitutes, in itself, a crime (not a simple administrative offense), especially if there is intent to deceive. It also recalls that the deadline for the prescription of this crime is 5 years, not one, so it confirms the sentence.

In short, the SC makes it clear that playing with license plates to deceive or evade controls is no joke and can result in imprisonment and fines.

In actions arising from facts related to the driving of motor vehicles, our lawyers are at your disposal for the defense of your interests